Machermo
October 27
Dear Family & Friends:
On October 26, our team moved from Khumjung to Dole (13,120 feet). We left with great hope for a nice, easy day of trekking since the altitude gain was only 700 feet. No such luck. We immediately moved down the mountain, all the way to the river-a 1,000 foot loss of elevation. So, the trek to Dole was 1,700 feet of tough climbing, making for a long day. But, we all made it fine.
Today, we moved to Machermo (14,468 feet), an easy and pleasant day of trekking. We got our first good look at Cho-Oyu, the 6th highest mountain in the world, and, like Burke-Khang, a border peak.
Everything from Namche Bazaar to our mountain is new for me, so these are really exciting days. The views of the Gokyo Valley and the Himalaya Range are truly spectacular.
Everyone is having fun and doing well.
The best news of the day was the arrival of team member, Nick Logic. Nick was delayed in arriving at Kathmandu, so he had to catch up with us. Nick trekked all the way from Khumjung to Machermo in one day. Hats off to Nick. Now the team is whole.
Tomorrow, we move to Gokyo Lake, where we will stay for 2 nights. I’m excited to see Gokyo Lake, as the photos of the village and lake I have seen are beautiful.
Bill
Bill and team,
Expect the unexpected from this point on–it’s all new. Your pictures and narrative are fabulous. From Macherma up to Gokyo and beyond you are in the Ngozumba Glacier–looking forward to the next set of breath-taking pictures. The relative oxygen rate will become noticeable as you drop from 60% to the low 50% range–good that you are taking a few days to acclimatize.
Blessings,
Rick
We are happy to hear that our dear friend Nick Ligic is finally with the group! We wish you all safe climbing!
Greetings from the cruiser somewhere in middle of the Indian Ocean!
Enisa and Arif Agovic